Confucius, born on September 28, 551 BCE (27th day of the eighth lunar month) and passing away on April 11, 479 BCE (11th day of the second lunar month), known by the courtesy name Zhongni, held the position of the second eldest in his family. He hailed from the Han ethnic group and was a native of the state of Lu during the Spring and Autumn period. Confucius stands as a prominent figure in ancient Chinese philosophy and education, acclaimed as a theoretical statesman, and the founding figure of the Confucian school of thought. He is globally recognized as one of the most eminent cultural icons. Notably, he compiled China’s first chronological historical book, the “Spring and Autumn Annals.” Historical records indicate that Confucius was born in Changping Township, Zou County, Lu State (present-day Lu Yuan Village in Nanshin Town, Qufu City, Shandong Province). At the time of his passing, he was 73 years old and was laid to rest north of the city of Qufu, above the Si River, where the present-day Kong Lin is situated. The teachings and thoughts of Confucius are primarily encapsulated in the collection of discourses and prose known as the “Analects” and the records preserved in the “Records of the Grand Historian – The Family of Confucius” from the pre-Qin and Qin-Han periods.
The “Yijing,” also known as the “Zhouyi” or simply the “Yi,” stands as the oldest original text of divination in China, serving as the foundational source of natural philosophy and ethical practices in traditional Chinese thought and culture. It is said to have been deduced and summarized by Fu Xi and King Wen (Ji Chang) based on the “He Tu” and “Lo Shu” diagrams, giving rise to the eight trigrams of the Yijing. Regarded as the “first among the classics, the origin of the great way,” it crystallizes the wisdom and culture of the Chinese nation over five millennia.
Key terminologies: Confucius also delved into metaphysics.
This evokes the story of Newton, who, in his later years, immersed himself in theology. Despite Newton’s focus on theology, he did not achieve significant success in that field. This parallels, to some extent, the trajectory of Confucius.
Confucius did not delve much into metaphysics. It is later thought that Confucius only discussed ethics of human relations, without touching upon metaphysical philosophy. Laozi’s Tao Te Ching states: “The great Tao fades away, there is benevolence and righteousness.” Zhuangzi believed that Confucianism pertained to a narrow path. Scholars in later generations who favored Buddhist and Taoist teachings and philosophical discourse considered that Confucius only spoke of humanity (ethical relations) and did not expound upon the Way of Heaven (metaphysics). Metaphysical discourse in China was initially shouldered by Daoism and later by Buddhism.
